This series takes 20 to 25 year old canvas paintings, and amalgamates them with 100 year old barn wood, salvaged from an Alberta farm. The painted canvases were rolled up and in storage, and the old grain bin was obsolete and unusable. In the context of combining identities they are now one, and relevant. The canvases have been segmented, cropped and mixed with the old wood fragments to create a multilayered recycled concept. They revisit compositions that were unfinished, and use what worked from them. These canvases explore the common themes of the time-period Steve loves.
The Three Wood Block Series Large Measure Woodblock Series Small Measure Woodblock Series Ornamental Woodblock Series
These works are based on paintings Steve has done over the years, isolating various compositions within them. These cropped subjects then become the focus for the paintings. They are common subjects which Steve has repeatedly explored and changed, each one constantly evolving with the use of gels and washes. The pieces take images painted directly onto wookblocks, mixing them together with the fragmented old barn wood. The central image, surrounded by the old wood, is not confined or held by the frame, but rather flows throughout the old wood and defines the shape of the frame.